Field Notes

From the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, the fur trade stood at the center of a global exchange that linked wilderness to empire.  At its heart was the beaver, whose dense underfur made possible the felt hats that defined European fashion and power for centuries. 

Beavers may not look like climate heroes, but their dams do the work of billion-dollar infrastructure. If beavers were a new technology, we’d call them revolutionary. In reality, they’re proof that sometimes the best climate solutions come not from machines, but from letting nature get back to work.

Sauvie Island, nestled between the Columbia River and Multnomah Channel, played a brief but pivotal role in the 19th-century beaver fur trade. In the 1830s, it was home to Fort William, an American outpost aimed at intercepting pelts bound for the British-controlled Hudson’s Bay Company. 

Ever wonder why hat makers can’t just take a freshly trapped beaver and turn it straight into a hat? The journey from pelt to a fine beaver-felt crown is anything but direct. This deep dive follows the fur from North American wetlands through the few remaining felting mills in the world, revealing the hidden processing steps, global supply chain, and specialized skills that transform raw fiber into the hat bodies artisans rely on.